Birthing services include the care of a Certified Nurse Midwife (C.N.M. ), Registered Nurse (R.N.), and labor support (doula) in one service package for one reasonable fee. Post-partum care and breastfeeding support are also included. The Birth Center accepts Medi-Cal and most PPO insurance providers. Payment plans are also available.
The C.N.M. is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, if questions or concerns arise.
Prenatal Exams
Care at The Birth Center starts from the early stages of pregnancy. Around the twelfth week of pregancy, you'll be scheduled for your initial exam. This visit is extensive and lasts from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. During this time the C.N.M. establishes your health history and profile. Subsequent prenatal exams continue once a month throughout the pregnancy until the last month, where you'll start coming into the office once a week for close monitoring until you give birth. The length of a typical prenatal exam is about 30 minutes long (as compared to traditional OB/GYN visits which are only 10 minutes long).
In addition to the health checkups, prenatal visits serve as an opportunity for clients to develop a rapport with the C.N.M., and to discuss birth plans and how families want to participate in the birth experience.
Birth Care
Birth care begins when you think you are in labor. At that point, you call
the C.N.M., who can assess if you are ready to come to the center.
The C.N.M. meets you at the center and performs a
preliminary examination. Generally, clients are admitted when they are dialated to four centimeters and the onset of labor has been confirmed. Once you are admitted the C.N.M., doula, or both, assists you in labor with position
changes, use of the water birth tub, birth stool, or whatever works to manage your
labor. The C.N.M. also provides continuous monitoring of you and your baby.
When labor is impending, the C.N.M. calls the R.N. to provide additional
assistance with delivery. The R.N. stays with you after the birth and
provide the remainder of the post-partum care until you are discharged home.
The average stay after delivery is three to six hours.
Breastfeeding Support
Birth centers generally have a high rate of success with clients breastfeeding and The Birth Center is no exception. Breastfeeding assistance is provided to clients immediately after birth, during home visits, post-partum office visits, and by phone. Both the C.N.M. and the R.N. are lactation trained and able to help in most situations. If more intensive assistance is needed, you will be promptly referred to a certified lactation consultant.
Post-Partum Care
Post-partum care is the last component of our birthing services. To provide continued assessment for both mother and baby, home visit occurs about three days post-partum. The R.N. takes the mother's and baby's vitals, and ensures that breastfeeding is going smoothly (if not, she provides the appropriate assistance or referrals). Two final office visits will be scheduled at three and six weeks post-partum. At the 3-week visit, another baby exam will be done. During the 6-week visit, the C.N.M. reviews symptoms of post-partum depression and discuss any concerns you may have as well.
Well-Woman Gynecology
Your time at The Birth Center doesn't have to end at your six-week postpartum visit. We encourage our clients to return for annual gynecological exams. Family planning is also a component of care that we offer. We welcome women of all ages.
Milk Banking
If you are breast feeding and produce extra breast milk, consider donating it. The Birth Center is working in conjunction with Prolacta Bioscience, to provide breast milk to premature infants. Extra breast milk is collected from donors, processed, and then distributed to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) at local hospitals. You do not need to be a client of The Birth Center to donate breast milk.
If you are interested, please refer to our Milk Bank page .
